Fencing



Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FENCING Application June 30, 1931, Serial No. 547,859

3 Claims.

My invention concerns the formation of fence elements, such as pickets, posts, rails, or the like, manufactured to simulate a natural split appearance, and concerns also a fence made of such elements.

Fences have been constructed heretofore of saplings woven closely together to form a screen. Such a fence is of pleasingly rustic appearance, but since such saplings are scarce and those generally used are imported from France, such a fence is expensive. Hand splitting is tedious and slow, and cannot be economically practiced commercially, although hand split pickets are attractive in appearance.

Lumber mills produce considerable quantities of lumber, especially cedar lumber, which, by reason of knots, irregularities, and the like, are unsuitable for commercial use as lumber. Such pieces can be grooved to simulate natural splitting and this grooving is not affected by the presence of the irregularities and imperfections noted, but rather the rustic effect of the grooving is enhanced thereby. It becomes possible, then, to produce fence elements, particularly pickets, which simulate the appearance of naturally split pickets, and which give the general appearance of the woven sapling fence mentioned, thus producing a fence of extremely pleasing appearance at low cost, and utilizing material which would otherwise be wasted. Indeed, it is possible to produce lumber products generally which are thus grooved, for use where a rustic appearance is desirable. For example, the rails and posts can likewise be grooved to simulate natural splitting, thus harmonizing with the pickets.

Such pickets can be grooved with grooves extending straight from end to end, but this would produce an appearance of machine-like regularity which would partially defeat the object in view of producing a rustically irregular fence. Accordingly, I provide a method and a means whereby the grooving can be done in a manner which is quite irregular and in which there is no regular recurrence of wave grouping on the several pickets, and which therefore produces an effect wherein each of the pickets is different from all others, yet Where all have the same general characteristics.

It is the object of my invention, then, to produce lumber products of the type indicated, and to provide a method whereby the same may be produced in quantities.

My invention relates, therefore, both to the method and to the product itself.

The accompanying drawing illustrates typical pickets formed in accordance with my method.

Figures 1 and 2 are front elevations of two types of fence constructed from a combination of the pickets of my invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are front elevations of two 5 types of pickets as grooved in accordance with my invention.

Figures 5 and 6 are end views of the pickets of Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

Rustic pickets made according to my invention 1'0 are shown assembled to form a fence in Figures 1 and 2. The special peculiarities of shape incorporated in the manufacture of these pickets make for simplicity of application, whether or not they are grooved, but I prefer that they be grooved, as will be explained. As best illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the pickets are not curved in cross-section throughout, but one side l, which is intended to be outermost when incorporated in the fence, is curved, while the other side forms three generally plane surfaces, one surface 2 parallel to the transverse axis of the section and the other surfaces 3 and 4 making equal angles with this surface I on either side in such a way that two acute angled edges are formed at opposite sides of the picket. 'Ihe flat surface 2 on the face of the picket allows for easy alignment of the pickets by their Contact with a rail or Stringer 25, as in Figure l, or they may be securely nailed to such rails and aligned by means of the flat surface, as in Figure 2.

The most picturesque way of forming the fence is by weaving the pickets together with wires, as indicated at 26. If a weaving machine is used, the acute angled corners allow a much neater job than is p-ossible by using round pickets. In weaving together round pickets, the binding wires 26 tend to form the twist 24 away from the picket, and often a space nearly equal to the width of the picket is left. This presents the appearance of careless construction and reduces the screen .effect. The acute angled edges of these pickets allow them to be placed close together, as these angles correspond to the slope which the binding wires tend to follow, and a small twist secures the wires together. This arrangement produces a pleasing continuity or screen effect. The acute angles, when at about 45 to the surface 2, adapt these pickets Very simply and neatly to the construction of a corner, without a break in the screen effect. The ends of the pickets may be variously chamfered to .emphasize the rustic effect. Two forms are shown in Figures 3 and 4, vand the type shown in Figure 4 is shown as a fence in Figure 2.

2 A .l f.

Lumberproducts have been grooved heretofore to simulate a natural split effect, but never has this been done with fence pickets or elements, so far as I am aware. In all such cases, however, there has been a series of straight grooves in a pattern which recurs in the same location in every piece, and when many pieces are placed close together, the similarity of the pieces is evident and monotonous, and their machine-made character is apparent. This detracts from their salability.

According to my invention, the grooving mayf and preferably does, vary in its characteristics, both in different parts of the same piece and in different pieces. It may be straight for a part or al1 of the length of a particular piece; it may be waved transversely of the length of the piece; a hill-and-dale wave may be employed; or there may be produced a combination of the transverse and hill-and-dale waving. Any or all of these f ourcharacteristic types of waving may be employed throughout the whole or any part of a given piece, or several different types may be employed within the length of the piece. This lends infinite variety to the eiects obtainable, and the variety obtained by placing a number of pickets thus grooved side by side dissipates the impression of machine-madey regularity and monotony which might otherwise prevail, yet because of the generally rounded outer face I of each picket the impression of a homogeneous group composed of the individual and distinct elements is maintained, and the monotonous effect of a long fence or screen Without break is not presented.

In natural hand splitting the irregularities of the grain would allow waves to appear, instead of keeping a, perfectly straight appearance. This eiect, obtained by transverse or hill-and-dale waving, or by a combination thereof, simulates most closely the natural split effect, and heightens the rustic effect of the fence.

In appearance the rails and posts carry out the same rustic grooving idea. Two of the posts are shown inFigures l and 2, at 22 and 23. These are enlarged duplicates of the pickets, except pos- Y sibly as to cross-section, and serve as supports for the rails in either the preferred woven fence 'of Figure 1 or the more conventional nailed fence of Figure 2.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. A lumber product comprising a piece of wood mechanically grooved in irregular hill-and-dale waves uncontrolled by the grain of the wood and irrespective of the relative hardness of various portions of the wood.

2.`A lumber product comprising a piece ofwood mechanically grooved in a wave form combining a transverse wave form and a hil1-and.

dale wave form, in exaggeration of the natural.

grain of the wood.

y 3. A fence picket having a generally curved surface mechanically grooved ina wave form combining a transverse Wave form and a hilland-dale wave form uncontrolled by the grain of the wood and irrespective of the relative hardness of various portions of the wood.

GILBERT LOKEN. 

